Barcelona Terrorist Attack, Las Ramblas

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by the terrible tragedy in Barcelona. Have been on Las Ramblas many times.

 

We will be there in February, boarding the Viking Star on the Majestic Mediterranean r/t from Barcelona. We have no intention of changing our plans due to this sad event, but will be even more cognizant of our surroundings and avoid highly congested tourist areas when possible.

Amen.

Our hearts and prayers are with them as well as the folks in Cambrils and Finland. We visit Barcelona in November and I've already written to two of our tour vendors in Spain to express our support and sympathy. We won't be cancelling anything.

we were going to go there next month when the ship docks in Barcalona, Im not sure if we want to do that now!

We were there this past October, enjoying our Sangria on Las Ramblas. Five years earlier, we stayed at the Hotel Las Ramblas, overlooking the beautiful cafes and kiosks

 

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So sad that this happened to the beautiful people in Barcelona and tourists there.

 

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We were in Stockholm and St Petersburg pretty much right after their attacks and we didn't want to cancel. RJ2002, I'm happy you are going anyway. What we found were that the cities and towns were beginning to place items like HUGE rocks to stop cars before this kind of thing happens again. I think it was a Copenhagen guide that pointed it out to us.

Many happy memories of Barcelona and the people there. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We will return.

we were going to go there next month when the ship docks in Barcalona, Im not sure if we want to do that now!

Remember this kind of attack can happen in any city now. It is just as likely to hapoen in America. I am cautious about going to places where there is a higher risk of a terrorist attack. I would not go to Turkey or Tunisia these days, France has a big problem with disenfranchised, disafected Muslim youth (which has frankly been created by Goverment policies over many years). Hubby and I love Paris, but we are not keen to return as things stand. I don't feel there is a particularly high risk of more attacks in Spain though.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise and feel able to enjoy Barcelona. If you know you will only feel uneasy though, it may be better for you to enjoy relaxing on the ship instead. There is a lot said about 'carrying on as usual', but we don't need to force ourselves to be uncomfortable in my opinion.

We love Barcelona....the city, people, architecture, sights and feeling of this vibrant city. We have spent a fair amount of time there over multiple visits.....and we would not hesitate to return. Truly.

I hope you enjoy your cruise and feel able to enjoy Barcelona. If you know you will only feel uneasy though, it may be better for you to enjoy relaxing on the ship instead. There is a lot said about 'carrying on as usual', but we don't need to force ourselves to be uncomfortable in my opinion.

 

Thank you very much for these heartfelt sentiments. I am sure that many cruisers with upcoming sailings to, from, or calling at Barcelona, are having feelings right now. And those feelings are running the gamut, from sorrow to apprehension.

 

We are very independent travelers, and prefer to travel alone, or in very small private groups when touring off the ship. Our first Viking Ocean cruise is coming up, so we'll be experiencing the included group tours for the first time as well. Regardless, we will be even more cognizant of our surroundings and situation.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the input on this thread

Our strategy when visiting the various ports and sites, and even in the U.S., is to have a plan:

1. Do not be in the middle of a large gathering

2. Always identify at least 2 exit points from wherever you are standing, sitting, walking, riding

3. Always have a meeting place identified should you get separated from your group

4. Watch what is going on around the fringes- watch the security people, watch people who seem to be circling the perimeter, and be alert to shifts in the crowd

5. Be sure to leave your itinerary (every bit of it!), contact info, and list of names and contact info of others to be called should something happen.

We have not generally given our travel to the U.S. government agencies, but might consider it this time.

What to the rest of you do?

Because we were in Stockholm and St Petersburg right after their attacks, we did register with the US Govt. We left our itinerary including confirmation numbers with our daughters.

Our strategy when visiting the various ports and sites, and even in the U.S., is to have a plan:

1. Do not be in the middle of a large gathering

2. Always identify at least 2 exit points from wherever you are standing, sitting, walking, riding

3. Always have a meeting place identified should you get separated from your group

4. Watch what is going on around the fringes- watch the security people, watch people who seem to be circling the perimeter, and be alert to shifts in the crowd

5. Be sure to leave your itinerary (every bit of it!), contact info, and list of names and contact info of others to be called should something happen.

We have not generally given our travel to the U.S. government agencies, but might consider it this time.

What to the rest of you do?

I am generally a very observant person (fortunately, as my husband isn't) and I do look for exits. However, if I remained cognisant of all of the points in your strategy, I wouldn't be relaxed enough to enjoy myself, which defeats of object of travelling. I'm not at all suggesting that your strategy isn't a good one, just that it isn't for me. I also don't leave details of every outing or tour I take with someone. Relatives know the areas I am travelling to. If the worst happen, the information will come through.

 

Perhaps I have been hardened by having a tough and stubborn youngest child, who took off backpacking in Thailand at the age of 21 (having travelled in Europe at 18). She was always terrible at keeping in touch and would only check in after a gap of a week or 10 days in response to my contacts. She once told me that the previous night, she had left her travelling companions to spend some time alone, and in doing so, had taken the nightboat over from mainland Thailand to one of the Islands 😩 This boat really just carried Thai workmen 😩 It was better that I only found out about this after the event. Otherwise, I may have expired through fear. When she was 18, I was told several weeks after the event, that she had experienced problems with the apartment over a bar that she had been living in, and had slept alone on the beach overnight. 😩 Maybe she hardened me up. I do avoid travelling to the higher risk places at this time. There are plenty of relatively lower risk places that we want visit. When we are travelling though, we only take basic precautions.